BY ADAM H. BEASLEY The Miami Herald
Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito were great friends right up until the moment they weren’t.
Tyson Clabo called them “thick as thieves.” Best friends was how Ryan Tannehill put it.
But that all changed Oct. 28, the moment Martin abruptly walked away from the team and ignited a firestorm. He has since accused his friend and teammate of abusive behavior, and is now home in California undergoing treatment for emotional issues.
Incognito, meanwhile, has become a national villain. He has been suspended indefinitely by his team, and won’t ever again play for the Dolphins. None of it is fair, an irate Clabo said Wednesday in an overwhelmingly pro-Incognito locker room.
“He treated him like a little brother,” Clabo said. “They did a lot of stuff together, so if he had a problem with the way he was treating him, he had a funny way of showing it.”
When asked to explain Martin’s actions the past week, which have threatened to end both Martin’s career and Incognito’s, Clabo said: “I don’t know why he’s doing this. ... I think this whole thing is ridiculous.”
Added receiver Brian Hartline: “The people that can hurt you most are the ones closest to you and that’s exactly what happened.”
Just how close? When Martin wanted to hit the town, he wouldn’t go without Incognito.
They strolled down Bourbon Street together. They sat together on team flights. They went to Heat playoff games. “Big Weirdo” was seen, at least by Incognito, as a term of affection.
And when Martin got into a practice-field scrap with Dion Jordan a few weeks back, Incognito was the first to get his linemate’s back.
Clabo quipped: “I’ve been here long enough to know that if Martin had a problem, he didn’t show it. ... I think that if you have a problem with somebody ... [you should] stand up and be man.”
MESSAGE NEEDS CONTEXT
Though few doubt Incognito deserves to be suspended – he was caught on tape using vile, racially-charged language – even fewer have stopped to ask what else was on the message, which has only been released via transcript.
Right after telling Martin, “I’ll kill you,” Incognito told his teammate and friend, “OK, call me back,” The Miami Herald has learned.
On Wednesday, Clabo basically implied that Incognito might have had “a few too many” that night, and didn’t even remember the call later.
“He’s a good guy; I never had a problem with him,” said defensive tackle Randy Starks, who is black.
When asked if Incognito was a racist, he replied: “No, not at all. Haven’t gotten that idea all these years.”
Though center Mike Pouncey didn’t appear in the Dolphins locker room Wednesday, he spoke privately earlier in the day with ESPN analyst Cris Carter.
Pouncey told Carter, the Hall of Famer later relayed, that Martin had considered quitting football long before leaving the team.
Carter said Pouncey told him: “There were times he struggled as a rookie and contemplated, ‘Am I cut out for this?’ ”
Pouncey also said he was never personally asked by coaches to toughen up Martin. Clabo, meanwhile, said that every player who enters pro football must go through a maturation process, but that Incognito didn’t treat Martin any different than he treated anyone else.
Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito were great friends right up until the moment they weren’t.
Tyson Clabo called them “thick as thieves.” Best friends was how Ryan Tannehill put it.
But that all changed Oct. 28, the moment Martin abruptly walked away from the team and ignited a firestorm. He has since accused his friend and teammate of abusive behavior, and is now home in California undergoing treatment for emotional issues.
Incognito, meanwhile, has become a national villain. He has been suspended indefinitely by his team, and won’t ever again play for the Dolphins. None of it is fair, an irate Clabo said Wednesday in an overwhelmingly pro-Incognito locker room.
“He treated him like a little brother,” Clabo said. “They did a lot of stuff together, so if he had a problem with the way he was treating him, he had a funny way of showing it.”
When asked to explain Martin’s actions the past week, which have threatened to end both Martin’s career and Incognito’s, Clabo said: “I don’t know why he’s doing this. ... I think this whole thing is ridiculous.”
Added receiver Brian Hartline: “The people that can hurt you most are the ones closest to you and that’s exactly what happened.”
Just how close? When Martin wanted to hit the town, he wouldn’t go without Incognito.
They strolled down Bourbon Street together. They sat together on team flights. They went to Heat playoff games. “Big Weirdo” was seen, at least by Incognito, as a term of affection.
And when Martin got into a practice-field scrap with Dion Jordan a few weeks back, Incognito was the first to get his linemate’s back.
Clabo quipped: “I’ve been here long enough to know that if Martin had a problem, he didn’t show it. ... I think that if you have a problem with somebody ... [you should] stand up and be man.”
MESSAGE NEEDS CONTEXT
Though few doubt Incognito deserves to be suspended – he was caught on tape using vile, racially-charged language – even fewer have stopped to ask what else was on the message, which has only been released via transcript.
Right after telling Martin, “I’ll kill you,” Incognito told his teammate and friend, “OK, call me back,” The Miami Herald has learned.
On Wednesday, Clabo basically implied that Incognito might have had “a few too many” that night, and didn’t even remember the call later.
“He’s a good guy; I never had a problem with him,” said defensive tackle Randy Starks, who is black.
When asked if Incognito was a racist, he replied: “No, not at all. Haven’t gotten that idea all these years.”
Though center Mike Pouncey didn’t appear in the Dolphins locker room Wednesday, he spoke privately earlier in the day with ESPN analyst Cris Carter.
Pouncey told Carter, the Hall of Famer later relayed, that Martin had considered quitting football long before leaving the team.
Carter said Pouncey told him: “There were times he struggled as a rookie and contemplated, ‘Am I cut out for this?’ ”
Pouncey also said he was never personally asked by coaches to toughen up Martin. Clabo, meanwhile, said that every player who enters pro football must go through a maturation process, but that Incognito didn’t treat Martin any different than he treated anyone else.